101-531: The Light Rail Transit system, locally known by the initialism LRT , are a series of localised automated guideway transit (AGT) systems in Singapore which acts as feeder services to the heavy rail Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), and together forms the core of the country's rail transport services . The first LRT line was opened in 1999 and the system has since expanded to two lines, each serving three new towns , namely Bukit Panjang , Sengkang and Punggol , with
202-515: A Punggol Coast MRT station on the North East Line (NEL) to better serve commuters in the area. A light rail network was proposed in 2001 which would have served the western regions of Singapore such as Jurong. It was also envisioned to serve commuters travelling to Nanyang Technological University (NTU). However, the LTA announced in 2008 that there were no plans for the line to be built. The project
303-428: A numeronym . For example, "i18n" abbreviates " internationalization ", a computer-science term for adapting software for worldwide use; the "18" represents the 18 letters that come between the first and the last in "internationalization". Similarly, "localization" can be abbreviated "l10n"; " multilingualization " "m17n"; and " accessibility " "a11y". In addition to the use of a specific number replacing that many letters,
404-641: A single word ("television" or "transvestite", for instance), and is in general spelled without punctuation (except in the plural). Although "PS" stands for the single English word " postscript " or the Latin postscriptum , it is often spelled with periods ("P.S.") as if parsed as Latin post scriptum instead. The slash ('/', or solidus ) is sometimes used to separate the letters in an acronym, as in "N/A" ("not applicable, not available") and "c/o" ("care of"). Inconveniently long words used frequently in related contexts can be represented according to their letter count as
505-479: A 10.3 km light rail line with 15 stations, began operating on 29 January 2005 (with the exception of Oasis , which was opened on 15 June 2007 and Damai , which was opened on 20 June 2011) whereas Nibong , Sumang and Soo Teck were opened on 29 June 2014, the rest of the stations are not opened as Punggol was halfway developed. Subsequently, Sam Kee opened on 29 February 2016, Punggol Point opened on 29 December 2016 while Samudera opened on 31 March 2017 as
606-403: A centralized training system. However, concerns about high costs and Singapore's small population were noted. Two surveys were conducted to assess training needs. Based on the findings, the committee recommended a polytechnic for at least 2,000 part-time students, with an annual capacity for 500 full-time students. Proposed departments included Commerce, Engineering, Management, Architecture and
707-667: A different meaning. Medical literature has been struggling to control the proliferation of acronyms, including efforts by the American Academy of Dermatology. Acronyms are often taught as mnemonic devices: for example the colors of the rainbow are ROY G. BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). They are also used as mental checklists: in aviation GUMPS stands for gas-undercarriage-mixture-propeller-seat belts. Other mnemonic acronyms include CAN SLIM in finance, PAVPANIC in English grammar, and PEMDAS in mathematics. It
808-410: A football pitch, running track, Olympic-sized swimming complex, four tennis courts, three badminton courts, three basketball courts and a gym . The SPorts ARena, completed in 2015, has 12 badminton courts, two basketball courts, four squash courts, one multi-purpose court and two volleyball courts. Other facilities include an external rock climbing wall and two rooftop basketball courts. Moberly
909-760: A medial decimal point . Particularly in British and Commonwealth English , all such punctuation marking acronyms and other capitalized abbreviations is now uncommon and considered either unnecessary or incorrect. The presence of all-capital letters is now thought sufficient to indicate the nature of the UK , the EU , and the UN . Forms such as the U.S.A. for "the United States of America " are now considered to indicate American or North American English . Even within those dialects, such punctuation
1010-946: A medium-capacity rail-based light metro system. However, the term "LRT" in Singaporean parlance refers to rubber-tired automated people mover (APM) trains that are more comparable to the Metromover in Miami, the Macau Light Rapid Transit and those found in airport people mover systems , including the Changi Airport Skytrain . Along with the MRT, the LRT is constructed and owned by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), with operating concessions currently handed to SMRT Trains Ltd ,
1111-407: A period when the letters are pronounced individually, as in " K.G.B. ", but not when pronounced as a word, as in " NATO ". The logic of this style is that the pronunciation is reflected graphically by the punctuation scheme. When a multiple-letter abbreviation is formed from a single word, periods are in general not used, although they may be common in informal usage. "TV", for example, may stand for
SECTION 10
#17328633228311212-436: A single word, such as NATO (as distinct from B-B-C )" but adds later "In everyday use, acronym is often applied to abbreviations that are technically initialisms, since they are pronounced as separate letters." The Chicago Manual of Style acknowledges the complexity ("Furthermore, an acronym and initialism are occasionally combined (JPEG), and the line between initialism and acronym is not always clear") but still defines
1313-739: A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation , and SBS Transit Ltd , a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro . With the completion of Singapore's two LRT lines, there are currently no plans for further LRT networks in the future, aside from linking existing LRT stations to newer MRT lines. In September 1991, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) unveiled the revised Concept Plan 1991, which proposed a new mode of feeder rail that could serve new towns such as Yishun and Tampines . Such systems were to be fully automated and elevated light rail systems to serve as faster alternatives to existing feeder buses. In 1994, then Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan tasked
1414-635: A total system length of approximately 30 km (19 mi). Trains on these lines have at least one station interchange link to the MRT. The conventional definition of light rail generally refers to an upgraded form of tram that uses articulated low-floor tram cars and partial grade separation; in some cases such as the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London or the Skytrain in Vancouver, LRT refers to
1515-497: A twentieth-century phenomenon. Linguist David Wilton in Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends claims that "forming words from acronyms is a distinctly twentieth- (and now twenty-first-) century phenomenon. There is only one known pre-twentieth-century [English] word with an acronymic origin and it was in vogue for only a short time in 1886. The word is colinderies or colinda , an acronym for
1616-471: A word, an abbreviation is not an acronym." In contrast, some style guides do support it, whether explicitly or implicitly. The 1994 edition of Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage defends the usage on the basis of a claim that dictionaries do not make a distinction. The BuzzFeed style guide describes CBS and PBS as "acronyms ending in S". Acronymy, like retronymy , is a linguistic process that has existed throughout history but for which there
1717-463: Is a by-invitation-only programme providing learning activities and development opportunities for SP's brightest students. At EDGE, they believe that students can be guided to achieve their fullest potential. EAE is an admissions exercise that allows students to apply and receive conditional offers for admission to polytechnic based on their aptitudes and interests before taking their O-Level exams, or after completing their NITEC or Higher NITEC course at
1818-488: Is a question about how to pluralize acronyms. Often a writer will add an 's' following an apostrophe, as in "PC's". However, Kate L. Turabian 's A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations , writing about style in academic writings, allows for an apostrophe to form plural acronyms "only when an abbreviation contains internal periods or both capital and lowercase letters". Turabian would therefore prefer "DVDs" and "URLs" but "Ph.D.'s". The style guides of
1919-707: Is becoming increasingly uncommon. Some style guides , such as that of the BBC , no longer require punctuation to show ellipsis ; some even proscribe it. Larry Trask , American author of The Penguin Guide to Punctuation , states categorically that, in British English , "this tiresome and unnecessary practice is now obsolete." Nevertheless, some influential style guides , many of them American , still require periods in certain instances. For example, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage recommends following each segment with
2020-411: Is common for grammatical contractions (e.g. don't , y'all , and ain't ) and for contractions marking unusual pronunciations (e.g. a'ight , cap'n , and fo'c'sle for "all right", "captain", and "forecastle"). By the early twentieth century, it was standard to use a full stop/period/point , especially in the cases of initialisms and acronyms. Previously, especially for Latin abbreviations , this
2121-631: Is especially important for paper media, where no search utility is available to find the first use.) It also gives students a convenient review list to memorize the important acronyms introduced in a textbook chapter. Expansion at first use and abbreviation keys originated in the print era, but they are equally useful for electronic text . While acronyms provide convenience and succinctness for specialists, they often degenerate into confusing jargon . This may be intentional, to exclude readers without domain-specific knowledge. New acronyms may also confuse when they coincide with an already existing acronym having
SECTION 20
#17328633228312222-584: Is formed from the Greek roots akro- , meaning 'height, summit, or tip', and -nym , 'name'. This neoclassical compound appears to have originated in German , with attestations for the German form Akronym appearing as early as 1921. Citations in English date to a 1940 translation of a novel by the German writer Lion Feuchtwanger . It is an unsettled question in English lexicography and style guides whether it
2323-464: Is generally said as two letters, but IPsec for Internet Protocol Security is usually pronounced as / ˌ aɪ ˈ p iː s ɛ k / or / ˈ ɪ p s ɛ k / , along with variant capitalization like "IPSEC" and "Ipsec". Pronunciation may even vary within a single speaker's vocabulary, depending on narrow contexts. As an example, the database programming language SQL is usually said as three letters, but in reference to Microsoft's implementation
2424-446: Is its original meaning and in common use. Dictionary and style-guide editors dispute whether the term acronym can be legitimately applied to abbreviations which are not pronounced as words, and they do not agree on acronym spacing , casing , and punctuation . The phrase that the acronym stands for is called its expansion . The meaning of an acronym includes both its expansion and the meaning of its expansion. The word acronym
2525-550: Is legitimate to use the word acronym to describe forms that use initials but are not pronounced as a word. While there is plenty of evidence that acronym is used widely in this way, some sources do not acknowledge this usage, reserving the term acronym only for forms pronounced as a word, and using initialism or abbreviation for those that are not. Some sources acknowledge the usage, but vary in whether they criticize or forbid it, allow it without comment, or explicitly advocate it. Some mainstream English dictionaries from across
2626-459: Is not uncommon for acronyms to be cited in a kind of false etymology , called a folk etymology , for a word. Such etymologies persist in popular culture but have no factual basis in historical linguistics , and are examples of language-related urban legends . For example, " cop " is commonly cited as being derived, it is presumed, from "constable on patrol", and " posh " from " port outward, starboard home ". With some of these specious expansions,
2727-628: Is renowned for its engineering programmes. Its first site at Prince Edward Road was vacated by 1978; SP is now based at Dover, Singapore , and is currently the largest Polytechnic in Singapore. idea of establishing a polytechnic in Singapore was first proposed in August 1951 by the Technical Association of Malaya's Singapore branch (now known as Technological Association Malaysia ). An ad-hoc committee, chaired by educationist Thio Chan Bee, petitioned
2828-451: Is the first light rail line in Singapore. Spanning 7.6 km and consisting of 13 stations, the entire line opened in 1999 and is the first and only LRT line to be operated by SMRT Trains . The Sengkang LRT (SKLRT) is a 10.7 km light rail line which partially opened on 18 January 2003. It is part of the LRT system together with the other two lines. The East Loop has 5 stations, all operational, from Compassvale to Ranggung whereas
2929-622: Is the oldest block of Singapore Polytechnic—it was once a British Army barracks, the building has been refurbished into a recreational hub. It has seven pool tables, jamming studios, karaoke rooms, a café and a mini museum. Singapore Polytechnic has been awarded the Singapore Quality Class as well as the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications. It has also won the Singapore Public Service Award for Organisational Excellence and
3030-415: Is traditionally pronounced like the word sequel . In writing for a broad audience, the words of an acronym are typically written out in full at its first occurrence within a given text. Expansion At First Use (EAFU) benefits readers unfamiliar with the acronym. Another text aid is an abbreviation key which lists and expands all acronyms used, a reference for readers who skipped past the first use. (This
3131-458: The Colonial and Indian Exposition held in London in that year." However, although acronymic words seem not to have been employed in general vocabulary before the twentieth century (as Wilton points out), the concept of their formation is treated as effortlessly understood (and evidently not novel) in an Edgar Allan Poe story of the 1830s, " How to Write a Blackwood Article ", which includes
Light Rail Transit (Singapore) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-549: The Institute of Technical Education (ITE). This exercise replaced the Direct Polytechnic Admissions (DPA) and Joint Admission Exercise (JAE). PFP is an admissions exercise that allows the top 10% of Normal Academic (NA) students to apply to a polytechnic without going through O-Level. PFP students will go through a one-year course, teaching them the foundations of subjects that will be needed in their diploma year. If
3333-612: The Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association prohibit apostrophes from being used to pluralize acronyms regardless of periods (so "compact discs" would be "CDs" or "C.D.s"), whereas The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage requires an apostrophe when pluralizing all abbreviations regardless of periods (preferring "PC's, TV's and VCR's"). Possessive plurals that also include apostrophes for mere pluralization and periods appear especially complex: for example, "the C.D.'s' labels" (the labels of
3434-533: The Restoration witticism arranging the names of some members of Charles II 's Committee for Foreign Affairs to produce the "CABAL" ministry . OK , a term of disputed origin, dates back at least to the early nineteenth century and is now used around the world. Acronyms are used most often to abbreviate names of organizations and long or frequently referenced terms. The armed forces and government agencies frequently employ acronyms; some well-known examples from
3535-490: The Sengkang Depot will also be expanded to 11.1 ha from the existing 3.5 ha to ensure that is capacity and maintenance space for the new trains. The expansion of the depot will also see two new reception tracks being built to shorten the train launching time. To ensure there is enough electricity to support the larger fleet of trains, 3 new power stations will be built, increasing the total number of power stations supporting
3636-530: The University of Malaya , submitted the Dobby Report to the government on 17 September 1953. This report defined a polytechnic as an institution offering part-time technical and professional training primarily for employed individuals, with potential for full-time programs. The report highlighted the need for a polytechnic to equip local workers with modern skills, prepare them for managerial roles, and establish
3737-480: The "belief" that the etymology is acronymic has clearly been tongue-in-cheek among many citers, as with "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden" for " golf ", although many other (more credulous ) people have uncritically taken it for fact. Taboo words in particular commonly have such false etymologies: " shit " from "ship/store high in transit" or "special high-intensity training" and " fuck " from "for unlawful carnal knowledge", or "fornication under consent/command of
3838-463: The 160-character SMS limit, and to save time, acronyms such as "GF" ("girlfriend"), "LOL" ("laughing out loud"), and "DL" ("download" or "down low") have become popular. Some prescriptivists disdain texting acronyms and abbreviations as decreasing clarity, or as failure to use "pure" or "proper" English. Others point out that languages have always continually changed , and argue that acronyms should be embraced as inevitable, or as innovation that adapts
3939-461: The 18 letters between the initial "i" and the final "n"). Authors of expository writing will sometimes capitalize or otherwise distinctively format the initials of the expansion for pedagogical emphasis (for example, writing: "the onset of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)" or "the onset of c ongestive h eart f ailure (CHF)"). Capitalization like this, however, conflicts with the convention of English orthography, which generally reserves capitals in
4040-619: The Applied Arts, and Vocation Training in Language and Science, with English as the medium of instruction. Based on the recommendations of the Dobby Report, the Singapore Polytechnic Report was presented on 10 May 1954 to the government of Singapore by A. W. Gibson , then-principal of Dudley and Staffordshire Technical College (now known as Dudley College ). The Singapore Polytechnic Report recommended seven departments for
4141-461: The British press may render it "Nato"), but uses lower case in " Unicef " (from "United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund") because it is more than four letters, and to style it in caps might look ungainly (flirting with the appearance of "shouting capitals"). While abbreviations typically exclude the initials of short function words (such as "and", "or", "of", or "to"), this is not always
Light Rail Transit (Singapore) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-534: The Bukit Panjang LRT down for a small number of years to pave the way for the system's overhaul. On 23 October 2017, SMRT announced that the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) system will begin operations at 7 am, instead of 5.30am, on all Sundays from 12 November 2017 until the end of the year, to allow more time for works to improve service reliability. On 23 March 2018, SMRT said that
4343-403: The Bukit Panjang LRT line will be closed on 11 Sundays from 15 April 2018 to 24 June 2018 as part of maintenance works aimed to improve the reliability of the beleaguered system. On 21 June 2018, SMRT said from 1 July 2018 to 28 October 2018, all BPLRT stations will open on Sundays at 8am, instead of the usual 5.30am. On 12 January 2019, Ten Mile Junction served its last passengers and closed on
4444-798: The English-speaking world affirm a sense of acronym which does not require being pronounced as a word. American English dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster , Dictionary.com's Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary as well as the British Oxford English Dictionary and the Australian Macquarie Dictionary all include a sense in their entries for acronym equating it with initialism , although The American Heritage Dictionary criticizes it with
4545-471: The MRT network, and the integration of LRT facilities with HDB estates to maximise convenience for residents. In addition to using the LRT system as feeder service, the government also studied into the feasibility of using it to connect neighbouring towns with one another, such as Bedok - Tampines , Ang Mo Kio - Bishan - Toa Payoh , and the Jurong areas. A North Branch consisting of two to four LRT stations for
4646-548: The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) to study the use of an LRT in Singapore, particularly as an internal feeder service for new towns. In particular, two towns, Bukit Panjang and Sengkang , were to be studied for the feasibility of the LRT. MRTC also commissioned British consultant, Oscar Faber TPA, to conduct a feasibility study for an LRT system in the Beach Road / Nicoll Highway corridor in anticipation of
4747-875: The People Developer and Family Friendly Awards. SP received the President's Award for the Environment in 2010. Some of the key green initiatives by SP over the years included spearheading the adoption of Marina Reservoir—keeping it clean and organising the Singapore International Water Festival to engage youths on environmental and water issues. In 2011, SP won the South West Environment and Community Award (Community Category). The award recognises exemplar efforts of organisations that have contributed to environmental and community sustainability in
4848-508: The Punggol LRT line had been planned, which would have brought commuters from Punggol LRT station via Sam Kee and Teck Lee LRT station before branching out from the West Loop tracks onto this branch, terminating near Coney Island . The branch was eventually never built and was only visible in the planning stages of Punggol LRT since 2000. It was eventually replaced by more bus services and
4949-696: The Singapore Polytechnic Act was passed, and the first Board of Governors was appointed in January 1955. Construction of the $ 5.2 million 10-acre campus at Prince Edward Road, off Shenton Way , commenced in April 1957, while classes continued to be held at the Tanjong Katong Technical School , Belvedere School, and Connell House at Anson Road . The campus was officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , on 24 February 1959, with
5050-564: The U.S. Navy, is "COMCRUDESPAC", which stands for "commander, cruisers destroyers Pacific"; it is also seen as "ComCruDesPac". Inventors are encouraged to anticipate the formation of acronyms by making new terms "YABA-compatible" ("yet another bloody acronym"), meaning the term's acronym can be pronounced and is not an offensive word: "When choosing a new name, be sure it is 'YABA-compatible'." Acronym use has been further popularized by text messaging on mobile phones with short message service (SMS), and instant messenger (IM). To fit messages into
5151-548: The United States are among the " alphabet agencies " (jokingly referred to as " alphabet soup ") created under the New Deal by Franklin D. Roosevelt (himself known as "FDR"). Business and industry also coin acronyms prolifically. The rapid advance of science and technology also drives the usage, as new inventions and concepts with multiword names create a demand for shorter, more pronounceable names. One representative example, from
SECTION 50
#17328633228315252-474: The West Loop has 8 stations from Cheng Lim to Renjong . On 27 June 2015, Kupang opened, making it the last station on the Sengkang LRT to be opened. The completion of several new residential developments in the area deemed it suitable to operate after 12 years. The Punggol LRT (PGLRT) is a light rail line in Singapore within the LRT system together with the other two lines. Its first phase, which comprises
5353-411: The acronym may use normal case rules, e.g. it would appear generally in lower case, but with an initial capital when starting a sentence or when in a title. Once knowledge of the words underlying such an acronym has faded from common recall, the acronym may be termed an anacronym . Examples of anacronyms are the words " scuba ", " radar ", and " laser ". The word "an acro nym" should not be confused with
5454-577: The adoption of acronyms was modern warfare, with its many highly technical terms. While there is no recorded use of military acronyms dating from the American Civil War (acronyms such as "ANV" for " Army of Northern Virginia " post-date the war itself), they became somewhat common in World War I , and by World War II they were widespread even in the slang of soldiers, who referred to themselves as G.I.s . The widespread, frequent use of acronyms across
5555-497: The apostrophe should be reserved for the possessive ("the TV's antenna"). In some languages, the convention of doubling the letters in the acronym is used to indicate plural words: for example, the Spanish EE.UU. , for Estados Unidos ('United States'). This old convention is still sometimes followed for a limited number of English abbreviations, such as SS. for Saints , pp. for
5656-541: The area around the stations became more developed. Teck Lee opened on 15 August 2024, making it the last station on the Punggol LRT to be opened. The trains on the LRT system are fitted with rubber tyres , rather than steel wheels, on specially-constructed guideways from which its power is also sourced. All cars are fully automated and driverless, and are controlled from their respective depots . All lines are capable of fully automatic operation, where they can operate driverless and unattended. The following list documents
5757-1159: The case. Sometimes function words are included to make a pronounceable acronym, such as CORE ( Congress of Racial Equality ). Sometimes the letters representing these words are written in lower case, such as in the cases of "TfL" (" Transport for London ") and LotR ( The Lord of the Rings ); this usually occurs when the acronym represents a multi-word proper noun. Numbers (both cardinal and ordinal ) in names are often represented by digits rather than initial letters, as in "4GL" (" fourth generation language ") or "G77" (" Group of 77 "). Large numbers may use metric prefixes , as with " Y2K " for "Year 2000". Exceptions using initials for numbers include " TLA " ("three-letter acronym/abbreviation") and "GoF" (" Gang of Four "). Abbreviations using numbers for other purposes include repetitions, such as " A2DP " ("Advanced Audio Distribution Profile"), " W3C " ("World Wide Web Consortium"), and T3 ( Trends, Tips & Tools for Everyday Living ); pronunciation, such as " B2B " ("business to business"); and numeronyms , such as "i18n" ("internationalization"; "18" represents
5858-413: The compact discs). In some instances, however, an apostrophe may increase clarity: for example, if the final letter of an abbreviation is "S", as in "SOS's" (although abbreviations ending with S can also take "-es", e.g. "SOSes"), or when pluralizing an abbreviation that has periods. A particularly rich source of options arises when the plural of an acronym would normally be indicated in a word other than
5959-557: The contrived acronym "P.R.E.T.T.Y.B.L.U.E.B.A.T.C.H." The use of Latin and Neo-Latin terms in vernaculars has been pan-European and pre-dates modern English. Some examples of acronyms in this class are: The earliest example of a word derived from an acronym listed by the OED is "abjud" (now " abjad "), formed from the original first four letters of the Arabic alphabet in the late eighteenth century. Some acrostics pre-date this, however, such as
6060-438: The dictionary entries and style guide recommendations regarding the term acronym through the twentieth century did not explicitly acknowledge or support the expansive sense. The Merriam–Webster's Dictionary of English Usage from 1994 is one of the earliest publications to advocate for the expansive sense, and all the major dictionary editions that include a sense of acronym equating it with initialism were first published in
6161-600: The district. SP also clinched the inaugural ASEAN People's Award in 2015 for its contributions toward the region's community-building efforts. Singapore Polytechnic currently offers the following scholarships: SPOT is a talent development and enrichment programme. All recipients of the SP Scholarship will automatically be placed under this programme. Other eligible students will be invited to join SPOT based on their academic results or lecturers' recommendations. The EDGE Programme
SECTION 60
#17328633228316262-643: The exclusive sense for acronym and its earliest citation was from 1943. In early December 2010, Duke University researcher Stephen Goranson published a citation for acronym to the American Dialect Society e-mail discussion list which refers to PGN being pronounced "pee-gee-enn", antedating English language usage of the word to 1940. Linguist Ben Zimmer then mentioned this citation in his December 16, 2010 " On Language " column about acronyms in The New York Times Magazine . By 2011,
6363-587: The expansion of the LRT section of Sengkang Depot. The expanded depot will provide increased stabling capacity, a new maintenance workshop and two new reception tracks to boost the Sengkang-Punggol LRT's (SPLRT) capacity. In addition, the existing power supply systems will be enhanced and three new traction power stations will be added to the existing five for improved traction power to support the additional trains. Expansion works began in 2021 and are scheduled to be completed by 2027. The Light Rail Transit uses
6464-763: The final word if spelled out in full. A classic example is "Member of Parliament", which in plural is "Members of Parliament". It is possible then to abbreviate this as "M's P", which was fairly common in mid-twentieth-century Australian news writing (or similar ), and used by former Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley . This usage is less common than forms with "s" at the end, such as "MPs", and may appear dated or pedantic. In common usage, therefore, "weapons of mass destruction" becomes "WMDs", "prisoners of war" becomes "POWs", and "runs batted in" becomes "RBIs". Abbreviations that come from single, rather than multiple, words – such as "TV" ("television") – are usually pluralized without apostrophes ("two TVs"); most writers feel that
6565-459: The first MRT/LRT station to be completely closed in Singapore after opening. The station was closed permanently from 13 January 2019 due to low demand. The closure of the station also led to the cessation of Bukit Panjang LRT Service C, formerly running from this station and looping in Bukit Panjang town via Senja. The vacated station was converted to Ten Mile Junction Depot Extension. This was also
6666-536: The first ever MRT and LRT station in Singapore's history to be permanently closed and removed from operations. It is the first and only LRT line to be operated by SMRT Light Rail . The Sengkang LRT line opened in two main stages, the East Loop opening first on 18 January 2003 and most of the West Loop on 29 January 2005. Farmway LRT station on the West Loop subsequently opened on 15 November 2007. On 1 January 2013, Cheng Lim LRT station opened for passenger service and
6767-458: The first letter of acronyms, reserving all-caps styling for initialisms, writing the pronounced acronyms "Nato" and "Aids" in mixed case, but the initialisms "USA" and "FBI" in all caps. For example, this is the style used in The Guardian , and BBC News typically edits to this style (though its official style guide, dating from 2003, still recommends all-caps ). The logic of this style is that
6868-592: The first stations to open. Sam Kee , Punggol Point and Samudera opened on 29 February 2016, 29 December 2016 and 31 March 2017 respectively. The last station on the line to be opened, Teck Lee LRT station opened for passenger service on 15 August 2024. For the Bukit Panjang LRT line , SMRT and LTA announced plans to completely overhaul the BPLRT system as the system is reaching its lifespan of 20 years. Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has also announced plans to shut
6969-501: The government in 1952 for the creation of a fully-equipped polytechnic to address the shortage of skilled workers. In January 1953, then-Governor Sir John F. Nicoll appointed a committee to investigate the feasibility of the polytechnic. This committee was tasked with determining the curriculum, estimating costs and equipment needs, and evaluating the institution's integration into Singapore's existing education system. The 13-member committee, chaired by Professor E. H. G. Dobby from
7070-407: The increased demand for transport services in the area due to several major developments such as Suntec City , Marina Centre and Shenton Way . On 3 December that year, Mah announced the government's intentions to pilot two LRT systems at Bukit Panjang and Buona Vista . New LRT systems were also suggested for more mature towns such as Toa Payoh although further decisions were only to be made after
7171-456: The initial letter of each word in all caps with no punctuation . For some, an initialism or alphabetism , connotes this general meaning, and an acronym is a subset with a narrower definition: an initialism pronounced as a word rather than as a sequence of letters. In this sense, NASA / ˈ n æ s ə / is an acronym but USA / j uː ɛ s ˈ eɪ / is not. The broader sense of acronym , ignoring pronunciation,
7272-435: The king". In English, abbreviations have previously been marked by a wide variety of punctuation . Obsolete forms include using an overbar or colon to show the ellipsis of letters following the initial part. The forward slash is still common in many dialects for some fixed expressions—such as in w/ for "with" or A/C for " air conditioning "—while only infrequently being used to abbreviate new terms. The apostrophe
7373-486: The label "usage problem". However, many English language dictionaries, such as the Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary , Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary , Macmillan Dictionary , Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English , New Oxford American Dictionary , Webster's New World Dictionary , and Lexico from Oxford University Press do not acknowledge such a sense. Most of
7474-836: The language to changing circumstances. In this view, the modern practice is just the "proper" English of the current generation of speakers, much like the earlier abbreviation of corporation names on ticker tape or newspapers. Exact pronunciation of "word acronyms" (those pronounced as words rather than sounded out as individual letters) often vary by speaker population. These may be regional, occupational, or generational differences, or simply personal preference. For instance, there have been decades of online debate about how to pronounce GIF ( / ɡ ɪ f / or / dʒ ɪ f / ) and BIOS ( / ˈ b aɪ oʊ s / , / ˈ b aɪ oʊ z / , or / ˈ b aɪ ɒ s / ). Similarly, some letter-by-letter initialisms may become word acronyms over time, especially in combining forms: IP for Internet Protocol
7575-542: The middle of sentences for proper nouns; when following the AMA Manual of Style , this would instead be rendered as "the onset of congestive heart failure (CHF)". Singapore Polytechnic Singapore Polytechnic ( SP ) is a post-secondary education institution and statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education in Singapore . Established in 1954, SP is the first and oldest polytechnic in Singapore, and
7676-463: The more general "x" can be used to replace an unspecified number of letters. Examples include "Crxn" for "crystallization" and the series familiar to physicians for history , diagnosis , and treatment ("hx", "dx", "tx"). Terms relating to a command structure may also sometimes use this formatting, for example gold, silver, and bronze levels of command in UK policing being referred to as Gx, Sx, and Bx. There
7777-402: The next day, 13 January 2019. It also marks the end of Service C on the Bukit Panjang LRT. On 31 October 2012, LTA announced that by 2016, Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems will be upgraded to a two-car system for 16 of the 41 existing train cars, allowing double the number of passengers to board at any one time. Each train car can take up to 105 passengers. Hence, there is also the need to modify
7878-515: The opening of Downtown Line to Bukit Panjang. This was followed by the rest of the stations on the Bukit Panjang and Sengkang - Punggol LRT lines in 2018. The installation of these barriers was completed at all LRT stations in 2017. Acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with
7979-649: The pilot programmes were conducted. Eventually, the proposed LRT around Buona Vista was cancelled due to insufficient demand for the rail line. In 1995, study trips were made to the SK and Véhicule Automatique Léger (VAL) systems in France to study on the feasibility of building LRT systems near HDB public flats and integration of the LRT with other public transport modes as well as the H-Bahn suspended monorail system in Germany to study into
8080-721: The plural of 'pages', or mss. for manuscripts . The most common capitalization scheme seen with acronyms is all-uppercase ( all caps ). Small caps are sometimes used to make the run of capital letters seem less jarring to the reader. For example, the style of some American publications, including the Atlantic Monthly and USA Today , is to use small caps for acronyms longer than three letters; thus "U.S." and " FDR " in normal caps, but " nato " in small caps. The acronyms " AD " and " BC " are often smallcapped as well, as in: "From 4004 bc to ad 525 ". Where an acronym has linguistically taken on an identity as regular word,
8181-431: The polytechnic, prioritising General Education, Commerce, Management Studies, Engineering, and Architecture and Building. Secondary priorities included the Applied Arts and a Women's Department for Domestic Science. Gibson emphasised initial training for craftsmen and technicians before expanding to advanced subjects. He also suggested locating the polytechnic at Shenton Circus for optimal accessibility. On 27 October 1954,
8282-490: The possibility of implementing such a system for Singapore Polytechnic and the National University of Singapore . In 1996, the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which was formed from the merger of several transport statutory boards including MRTC in 1995, published a White Paper which outlined its goals for a world-class transport system in Singapore, one of which was the utilisation of LRT systems as feeder services to
8383-483: The pronunciation is reflected graphically by the capitalization scheme. However, it conflicts with conventional English usage of first-letter upper-casing as a marker of proper names in many cases; e.g. AIDS stands for acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome which is not a proper name, while Aids is in the style of one. Some style manuals also base the letters' case on their number. The New York Times , for example, keeps "NATO" in all capitals (while several guides in
8484-674: The publication of the 3rd edition of the Oxford English Dictionary added the expansive sense to its entry for acronym and included the 1940 citation. As the Oxford English Dictionary structures the senses in order of chronological development, it now gives the "initialism" sense first. English language usage and style guides which have entries for acronym generally criticize the usage that refers to forms that are not pronounceable words. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage says that acronym "denotes abbreviations formed from initial letters of other words and pronounced as
8585-500: The rail system". From 27 May 2018 to 7 October 2018, limited services on Sundays will continue on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT). One platform will open at 5.30am and the other platform will open at 5.30pm. On 5 February 2021, the Land Transport Authority announced that it has purchased 17 two-car trains for the Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems. The new trains will be delivered progressively from 2024 to 2027. In addition to new trains,
8686-413: The replacement was completed in 2017. By 2018, glass and steel platform barriers were installed at all 43 LRT stations to prevent people from falling onto the tracks. Unlike the ones in overground MRT stations , the LRT structures will not have sliding doors but fixed openings. The barriers have been erected at Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang LRT stations in anticipation of higher commuter traffic with
8787-536: The same ticketing system as the Mass Rapid Transit , accepting the contactless EZ-Link smart card and tourist passes. Single-trip tickets are not sold; fares can only be purchased via contactless card (EZ-Link or tourist pass, both stored-value cards). Instead of using turnstile faregates, all stations on the Bukit Panjang LRT Line now use retractable faregates instead which is faster and easier and
8888-470: The sides of railroad cars (e.g., "Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad" → "RF&P"); on the sides of barrels and crates; and on ticker tape and newspaper stock listings (e.g. American Telephone and Telegraph Company → AT&T). Some well-known commercial examples dating from the 1890s through 1920s include " Nabisco " ("National Biscuit Company"), " Esso " (from "S.O.", from " Standard Oil "), and " Sunoco " ("Sun Oil Company"). Another field for
8989-550: The signaling and communication system. On 22 December 2015, the two-car trains entered service on the Sengkang LRT line, boosting capacity to 204 per trip as compared to 105 in a single car configuration. As of 2017, two car trains have entered service on the Punggol LRT line. On 15 December 2017, the Land Transport Authority said there will be limited services on parts of the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) on most Sundays from 14 January 2018 to 25 February 2018, to facilitate renewal and improvement works from (except 18 February as it
9090-503: The system to 8 once completed. Since the LRT system was built in the 1990s, plans for barrier-free facilities have already been included during the planning stages. All 43 stations are equipped with such facilities, thus there will be no difficulties present for the old and handicapped. Barrier-free facilities include lifts , ramps , a tactile guidance system and wider faregates. These barrier-free facilities will be included in all future LRT stations. The Bukit Panjang LRT Line (BPLRT)
9191-475: The systems: The LRT system consists of two depots, which run the maintenance, inspection, train overhaul facilities, and houses the train cars overnight. The Ten Mile Junction Depot houses train cars for Bukit Panjang LRT , and the Sengkang Depot houses train cars for both the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) and the North East Line (NEL) of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). In 2021, LTA announced plans for
9292-502: The terms as mutually exclusive. Other guides outright deny any legitimacy to the usage: Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words says "Abbreviations that are not pronounced as words (IBM, ABC, NFL) are not acronyms; they are just abbreviations." Garner's Modern American Usage says "An acronym is made from the first letters or parts of a compound term. It's read or spoken as a single word, not letter by letter." The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage says "Unless pronounced as
9393-750: The then-Governor, Sir William Goode , and the then-Chief Minister, Tun Lim Yew Hock . By then, over 2,800 students were enrolled across 58 courses in 5 departments: Engineering, Building and Architecture, Science and Technology, General Education, and Commerce. Singapore Polytechnic has 10 Academic Schools and offers 30 Full-Time Diploma Courses and 4 Common Entry Programmes. The Singapore Polytechnic's Professional & Adult Continuing Education (PACE) Academy offers over 420 Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses, including Short Courses, Part-Time Diplomas and Post-Diplomas, Work-Study Programmes, SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes, to boost career opportunities. The Singapore Polytechnic Sports Complex has
9494-552: The twenty-first century. The trend among dictionary editors appears to be towards including a sense defining acronym as initialism : the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary added such a sense in its 11th edition in 2003, and both the Oxford English Dictionary and The American Heritage Dictionary added such senses in their 2011 editions. The 1989 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary only included
9595-604: The west loop now operated in both directions. The last station on the line to be opened, Kupang opened for passenger service on 27 June 2015. For the Punggol LRT line , the East Loop started operating on the same day as the Sengkang LRT's West Loop, with two stations closed. Oasis LRT station was opened for service on 15 June 2007, after more residents moved into HDB flats in the station's vicinity. Damai LRT station opened on 20 June 2011. The West Loop opened on 29 June 2014 at 11.15 am, with Nibong , Sumang and Soo Teck being
9696-536: The whole range of linguistic registers is relatively new in most languages, becoming increasingly evident since the mid-twentieth century. As literacy spread and technology produced a constant stream of new and complex terms, abbreviations became increasingly convenient. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED ) records the first printed use of the word initialism as occurring in 1899, but it did not come into general use until 1965, well after acronym had become common. In English, acronyms pronounced as words may be
9797-425: The word " an achro nym ", which is a type of misnomer. Words derived from an acronym by affixing are typically expressed in mixed case, so the root acronym is clear. For example, "pre-WWII politics", "post-NATO world", " DNase ". In some cases a derived acronym may also be expressed in mixed case. For example, " messenger RNA " and " transfer RNA " become "mRNA" and "tRNA". Some publications choose to capitalize only
9898-667: Was a Chinese New Year holiday). Only one platform will open for service at 5.30am on Sundays. The other platform will open from 7am. The arrangement continued until 29 April 2018. On 14 February 2018, the LTA announced that it has taken over SBS Transit's rail assets (the North East MRT line and Sengkang-Punggol LRT lines) worth $ 30.8 million and transit to the New Rail Financing Framework on 1 April 2018. The LTA has also said that this will benefit commuters as there will be "more coordinated and timely expansion, and renewal of
9999-511: Was done with a full space between every full word (e.g. A. D. , i. e. , and e. g. for " Anno Domini ", " id est ", and " exempli gratia "). This even included punctuation after both Roman and Arabic numerals to indicate their use in place of the full names of each number (e.g. LII. or 52. in place of "fifty-two" and "1/4." or "1./4." to indicate "one-fourth"). Both conventions have fallen out of common use in all dialects of English, except in places where an Arabic decimal includes
10100-619: Was later revived with the release of the Land Transport Master Plan 2013, in the form of the Jurong Region MRT line . It is set to open in stages from 2027 to 2029. The Bukit Panjang LRT line opened on 6 November 1999, with all 14 stations opening at the same time. Ten Mile Junction LRT station was closed from 10 December 2010 till 30 December 2011 for retrofitting works due to the closure and redevelopment of Ten Mile Junction shopping mall (now known as Junction 10), making it
10201-449: Was little to no naming , conscious attention, or systematic analysis until relatively recent times. Like retronymy, it became much more common in the twentieth century than it had formerly been. Ancient examples of acronymy (before the term "acronym" was invented) include the following: During the mid- to late nineteenth century, acronyms became a trend among American and European businessmen: abbreviating corporation names, such as on
#830169